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What Damn recovery..OMG 6.4 Trillion dollars in spending and debt, and he wants us to feel there is a recovery…The only way to bring this country back to full employment is to dump that damn Owebammacare and a few trillion other government mandates and regulations, and do it NOW.

@1 Emperor max mini-dick is in denial again. People are getting hired, the stock market is going up, consumer confidence is growing. Only cockroaches who hide under the kitchen sink because they can’t stand daylight don’t see the recovery.

You can “prove” anything you want to, by cherry-picking statistics. So it is with the GOP-peddled meme that “47% of people don’t pay taxes.” But an honest, objective appraisal of our total tax system confirms what we liberals have said all along: America’s tax system coddles the rich and flails the poor. That’s not fair, and needs to be fixed.

” … Republican presidential candidates have … consistently focused their rhetoric on a very narrow spectrum of our tax burden — income tax as a percentage of income — to suggest that the poorest Americans get a free ride at the expense of the wealthiest.

“But … when all the other taxes we pay are factored in — especially our punishing state taxes — it’s clear the poor often pay a far greater percentage of their income in taxes than the rich.

“The most striking number to come out of the tax debate is 47%. That’s the portion of the populace that doesn’t pay federal income tax. Taken at face value, this is true. …

“But let’s widen our gaze to the other taxes that workers pay to the federal government. A variety — including Medicare and Social Security taxes — are taken out of every paycheck. Beyond that, some portion of federal corporate tax falls on every consumer and employee of a private company, and federal excise taxes hit many consumers. When measured properly, 86% of taxpayers pay into the federal system — a far cry from the 47% that critics claim. And most of the remaining 14% don’t exactly fit the freeloader cliche. More than half … are the retired elderly and the remainder are largely students … disabled … unemployed or … earning very low incomes.

“In fact, when it comes to some taxes — such as Social Security and Medicare — the poorest 20% of workers pay a far larger percentage of their income than the richest 20%. Still, taken as a total, the poor send less of their income to the IRS than the rich. …

“So the poor are getting a huge break, right? Well, it depends on where they live. According to a recent study …, while the federal tax rate is progressive … state tax rates are all regressive. … And the differences aren’t minor. In the median state, Mississippi, the poorest 20% of workers pay almost twice as high a percentage of their income as the richest 1%. In Washington state, the worst, they pay more than six times as much as the top 1%. What’s more, this is true in all states — even those that don’t have an income tax. …

“The gap gets even wider when one considers the impact of historically low dividend and capital gains tax rates. For a Washington state billionaire like Bill Gates, most of whose income comes from investments, it’s likely that his overall tax rate is lower than that of a bottom-tier worker.”

Roger Rabbit Commentary: Anytime conservatives want to bitch about taxes, that’s a debate I’m more than willing to have. You want a flat tax? I’m with you on that! Let’s work together to make sure everyone pays the same percentage of their income to government. That means, of course, the rich will have to pay more. You do realize that, don’t you?

@2
American car sales peaked years ago (2002?). Car ownership’s peaked. VMT both total and per capita have peaked (2005?). Fleet gas milage is going up. Last but not least, since about 2005 consumption of gasoline in the US has gone over a cliffhttp://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hi.....1&f=M

And both political parties are trying to say that we need more roads and more oil? That doesn’t even make sense. Like on most things the Republicans are wronger than the Democrats, but all of our political, social, and economic leadership have jumped the shark on this one.

6 – Yes, the situation with gas consumption is getting so bad that some refineries in the east will be shut down. Refineries cost a lot to operate and are able to reap only the thinnest of margins.

That in turn will only raise the price of gas.

I see that as a good thing as it will only strengthen the signal to conserve more and find alternatives like electric/hybrid cars, bikes, whatever to gas/diesel powered transportation..

Less miles driven by consumers may indicate that people are adjusting, living closer to work, using the internet and/or public transit more. If these kind of changes are permanent then it might even mean that some highway corridors will go extinct like old rail right of ways did back in the day. Maybe they’ll convert to high-speed rail or something completely unexpected like bike trails.

dummy ylb thinks that the only vehicles using gas/diesel are commuter cars.

yep, lets raise gas prices – and lets pay for more every single item in the store as well…

you silly fuck, why dont you tell your poor, minimum wage friends that they need to pay more in gas. maybe you will loan them your beat to shit taurus so they can drive to the store.

you wanna break the back of an already weak economy, just start raising fuel prices. of course, poor assholes like you will beg the state for assistance and handouts so you wont feel the sting as much – its what people like you do.

nah, I dont drink and drive…I leave that to people like your drunk ass pops.

I can absorb the hit to gas prices just fine..its people like you that cant..

I hope you will enjoy paying more for groceries and items at the local walmart…I know I know, you will just ask the state to send you more money and make TEH EVUL RICHIES pick your tab..same ole same ole…

just because you grew up with an alky, doesnt mean everyone is an alky….makes me wonder how many DWIs your drunk ass pops had….

you really are pathetic…get off your ass and makes something out of your life, instead of bitching about how well others are doing…oops, if you did that, I guess you wouldnt qualify as a democrat anymore…oh well.

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